FITNESS & FIREARMS FORUM

Fitness and Strength

3/20/12

It's the worst case scenario and all hell has broken loose. Whether it is due to civil unrest or natural disasters, people are becoming violent and looting everywhere you look. Law and order has failed and it is up to you to protect and provide for yourself and loved ones. In this type of situation, guns will be your best bet to keep yourself from harm, but which ones should you get?

If you are like me, you do not want to break the bank in order to prepare for a situation that may never occur in your lifetime. Still, you would like to be ready in case such an event were to occur. In a catastrophic event, guns will serve two main purposes; hunting and protection. Guns for each of these purposes will be essential as well as those guns that can serve both purposes. The type of ammunition will also be very important and you should choose types that are widely available and will be affordable to practice with. Here is a list of invaluable guns for the survivalist.

12 Gauge Shotgun - I could go on an on about the reasons why this gun is so important for any survivalist's arsenal. It meets all the criteria that one should look for when purchasing a survival gun. 12 gauge is a very common type of ammunition and will be easy to stock up on as well as easier to find compared to other types of ammo. It is also very affordable and will not cost an obscene amount of money in order to have a formidable stockpile. There are so many types of this ammo available, from bird and buckshot to slugs, that you can pick and choose different types to meet different needs. A 12 gauge shotgun can serve a dual purpose as a defense as well as a hunting gun. Both slugs and buckshot have tremendous stopping power for both two and four legged predators, while smaller shot varieties will be great for hunting small game. I personally prefer the shorter barrel varieties with extended magazine tubes to make the guns more tactically sound. You would not need to worry about the legality of hunting with this type of gun if law and order had disappeared and therefore the more shots the better when hunting.

9mm Semi Auto Handgun - This made the list over all of the other semi auto pistols mostly due to the commonness as well as the affordability of ammunition. 9mm ammuntion is cheap and easy to come by, making it great for stockpiling and practicing with. Many of these guns come with 15-17 round magazine capacities giving you plenty of shots should you need them. Their frames are also not very bulky, which makes them a great choice for a carry gun. The power of this round should be enough to stop just about every danger you could encounter during harsh times with only a few exceptions such as bears. Not that it couldn't kill one with a perfectly placed shot, I just wouldn't want to trust it with my life on the line. Still, the 9mm would make a great addition to any survivalists arsenal.

.22 Semi Auto Rifle - These are great, very affordable guns that would serve you well during times of unrest. When scoped, they can also offer more range than the other guns mentioned on this list. This will allow you to hunt small game from a greater distance. There are also 20 plus round magazines available for these guns which can make them great backup to larger caliber defense guns in your arsenal. .22 ammunition is also extremely abundant and can be bought in large quantities for a cheap price. This is a must have for any survivalist.

.44 DA Revolver - This is the only gun on this list that is usually expensive, although I feel that the investment would be worth it. These guns are great for when you need a ton of stopping power in the palm of your hand. They offer that knock down power that can mean life or death in a hostile situation and are much less cumbersome than a shotgun. The reason I chose .44, is that it is more common of a caliber than others when it comes to double action revolvers. Reliability is also a huge factor during bad times and a revolver is just about as reliable as you can get. If a new one seems too expensive for your budget, then make sure to check out local gun stores as well as online to find a deal on a used one.

These four guns would be a great way to start your survival gun arsenal. They make a great base in which you can build off of. Down the road, purchasing a large caliber, scoped hunting rifle and an AK-47 or AR-15 would be beneficial, but I would not invest money in those until I had the guns that are the most practical for day to day use. Remember, no matter how many guns you own, they will not save you unless you practice with them and become comfortable with using them.

3/8/12

Many families are more vulnerable to home invasions than they may think. These families may feel like there is no possibility that someone would want to cause them harm or if they do feel like this, they may think that the police will be there to save them. Then there are the families that realize that they may need to protect themselves before the cops can arrive. These people may decide to purchase a firearm in order to protect their home. With all of the options available, it can be difficult deciding which one will do this job the best. In this article I will give my opinion on what firearms I feel are best suited for this job and will stop the invaders before they can cause harm.

Ruger Redhawk chambered in .41 mag with 240 grain hollow points

If I could only choose one gun for home defense it would be a large caliber double action revolver. The number one reason for this is reliability. Revolvers require little maintenance and unlike semi autos, do not have springs that will wear out when being loaded for prolonged periods of inactivity. There is not the risk of jamming that there is with semi automatics. A revolver can just sit and is ready whenever you need it. Remember, I am not talking about a combat situation, just a home invasion scenario where six powerful shots should suffice.

Revolvers are also much easier to use than semi automatic handguns. They do not have a safety or a slide to deal with and are ready to be fired. You do not want be fumbling around with a safety or having to rack a slide when put in a life or death situation. With a revolver all you need to do is aim and pull the trigger, which could be crucial in a low light or intense situation where nerves will be hard to overcome. The ease of use makes it able to be used by members of the family who are not necessarily familiar with firearms. That being said, make sure to be careful in how you store a double action revolver, because it only takes one pull of the trigger for it to fire.

When choosing a revolver, I would choose one that is chambered for large caliber ammunition. The more stopping power the gun has, the better when defending one's home. You may only get the opportunity to fire once and you want it to count. A revolver, like the one pictured above, is ideal for home defense and is what I personally use. It is a Ruger Redhawk chambered in the somewhat rare .41 magnum. A suitable alternative would be one chambered in .44 magnum, which is much more common than the .41.

A close second to the double action revolver is the pump action shotgun. It is a powerhouse with great stopping power, even when using smaller bird shot, at close range. Shotguns are easier to be accurate with than handguns, because they shoot several lead balls (called shot) that spray out a pattern. When choosing what size shot to use, I would say the bigger the better, because stopping power can be crucial towards survival. A great choice would be 00 or double ought buckshot. There is however a benefit to using smaller shot, like bird shot, because it will not penetrate interior walls as easily as larger buckshot. One must always keep in mind what is on the other side of a wall when defending oneself.

A short barreled pump shotgun with a magazine extension, like the one pictured above, would be my ideal choice of shotgun for home defense. The extended magazine tube allows for more rounds to be carried in the gun, while the short barrel allows for greater maneuverability in tight quarters such as a home. Although you may not always want the intruder to know that you know they are there, (the element of surprise can give you the advantage) the iconic sound a pump action shotgun makes when chambering a round could make even the most malicious criminal think twice before going any further. This could possibly handle the situation without a shot ever being fired.

The most important thing you can do if you purchase a firearm for home defense, is to take it out and practice with it. Get comfortable with your gun and make it second nature to pick it up, aim and shoot it. This practice can be fun and will give you the confidence you need to use your gun in a critical situation.

After working out for over 7 years, I have experimented with all types of chest routines to make gains on bench. From sets of 12-15 to heavy weight in sets of 3, I have struggled to find a routine that felt like it was working with optimal results. Then I remembered one of the original routines I did that greatly increased my bench in my earlier days of working out. That was the 5x5. I do not really know why I abandoned this format, because it worked miracles for me years ago. It probably had to do with over thinking my approach and believing I could improve on a tried and true method that was getting results. However it happened, I strayed away and now, years later, I have come full circle back to the 5x5.

The main thing that stimulates both growth and strength is being able to increase the weight and stimulate your body to adapt to a heavier workload (Along with proper nutrition). Doing five reps allows you to focus more on the amount of weight instead of just pushing for the extra reps. It simplifies your mindset and allows you to vary the amount of weight within a certain format.

By doing a total of twenty five reps, this is still enough to gain size along with strength. Dividing these reps into five sets will also allow you to have the option of not increasing the weight throughout all of the sets, but instead on only a few. This will make it possible to continually add intensity to your workout in small increments, which in the long run, will add up into substantial strength and size gains.

Keep in mind that this is a routine I use for flat bench and I alter the reps and weights for other chest exercises. Flat bench is often times the core to any chest workout and doing 5x5 will allow you to make gains on every aspect of your chest routine.

Man Behind the Blog

I am a fitness and firearm enthusiasts who loves to discuss and share ideas on these topics. I have set out to create a place where enthusiasts, like myself, can both share and learn information as well as start discussions on these realms. I currently reside in rural southern Illinois with my wife and soon to be baby girl.